I am a reincarnation player.

After walking around in the complex ship for more than ten minutes, the two finally arrived at a new area.

The automatic door opened, and there looked like a garden in front. Even the steel walls were covered with vines. Yuki could see the other players from a distance.

This is easy. Among the military uniforms everywhere, a few people in strange costumes do attract attention.

It's them.

Among the six figures, Yuuki saw Johnny Silverhand smoking a cigar, a smiling lady swinging on a swing, and a man wearing a gray kendo uniform and a samurai bun.

A young man wearing a crimson coat, quite gorgeously dressed; a bald middle-aged man with a pale face, like a walking corpse.

Finally, there was the quiet girl who was reading a book in the corner, out of tune with the others.

Shiina Hiyori, huh, they are fine after all.

With his fingertips trembling slightly, Yuki suppressed his excitement. According to the setting, he didn't know the senior and the others, and they were not even in the same camp. Under strict surveillance, he must not reveal any clues.

He looked at everyone equally, and gave a gentle smile to every player he saw, without any discrimination.

Hiyori was a good actress, and fearing she couldn't contain her excitement, she focused all her attention on the novel and didn't even use the spirit particle communicator.

The young man in the purple coat was full of enthusiasm, the bald middle-aged man had an indifferent expression, but the warrior sat upright like a stone Buddha, raised his eyelids and nothing else happened.

No, there are fewer players. For example, only Johnny Silverhand came among the Mechanical Believer, and the sadness of the teammate's death was not noticed.

Yuki's heart moved, and he asked, "Are these all the reinforcements?"

"No, we're just representatives. How can we possibly ask all of you to come to the headquarters?" The captain replied coldly. He walked him to the courtyard gate and turned around. "Go to the assembly. Someone from the headquarters will take you to redeem your rewards later."

He just left like that, leaving Yuki alone to face the scrutiny, which was a bit awkward.

This means that seven teams have passed the test. Those on the Monster Front are definitely not interested in seeking death, so there are still many remaining player teams.

Seven days was enough to eliminate a large group of people, and he only knew three of the seven representatives, which suddenly felt a bit ironic.

In the past, old players would meet at the beginning of the dungeon, but this time it was the first time they met after a week.

"Hello, what's your name?" A soft female voice came, and a blonde beauty suddenly appeared in front of him. Her gentle smile formed a sharp contrast with the big sword behind her.

A monster-level player, coming right up to me and trying to intimidate me?

"Hello, Sky Island Yuuki, Ms. Smile." Yuuki nodded in greeting and added, "I participated in the dungeon alone, so it took me longer than you all."

Every player has a Loyal Guard Medal on his chest. Needless to say, this is because he has raised the team's reputation to the friendly level.

"I know. We've seen it on the spaceship. There are very few players traveling alone now, and each one of them is very capable." Denise spoke softly, and it didn't seem like she was deliberately flattering.

"The time doesn't matter. I've had to wait until now to max out my reputation on the first day." Johnny Silverhand, who was not far away, snorted and blew out a puff of smoke. "What kind of a bullshit observation period is this? Damn it! If it weren't for getting intel on the Zerg, I wouldn't want to help these bastards."

As expected of a cyberpunk hero, he even dares to swear while being monitored.

"Don't look at me with such a cowardly look. These bastards are smart. Do you know what this is?" Johnny Silverhand patted the badge on his chest with disdain and said simply, "We bought our tickets with the corpses of the Zerg. Whether we live or die, they won't lose anything."

The words are rough but the truth is there, it really hits the point, the defense forces treat players with courtesy because they are useful.

Yuki glanced at him and silently walked to the corner to sit down. He didn't fully understand the main plot of the "Guardians", such as their attitude towards the "Spark", so it was best to remain silent at this time.

"Mr. Silverhand, it's best to keep a low profile when you're on someone else's territory," Ms. Smile reminded.

"Tsk, these people have bad intentions. It's just a deal, we just need to get what we want." Johnny Silver stamped out his cigarette and raised his voice: "If you can't stand this and kill me, what will you think?"

"Of course, kill them." The young man in purple clothes responded immediately.

"Yeah, two people from our team were killed. We worked so hard to gain enough reputation, but these bastards are not only ungrateful, but they are also on guard against us all day long." The bald middle-aged man cursed, but there was no expression on his face, which looked very strange.

"More than that, they just want us to fight each other so they can completely control us and use us as cannon fodder."

"Why should we be blamed for past mistakes? We earned this reputation with our swords and guns!"

"They really pissed us off. I'll use the Shadow Field to ambush their transport convoy. It's still unclear who will win or lose."

......

The young man and the bald man seemed to hit it off right away, their sarcastic remarks coming one after another, while the others were much calmer.

The warrior was still meditating, and Hiyori observed with interest, while the smiling lady was still smiling.

Yuki looked at Johnny Silverhand with a strange look, thinking that this man was indeed a natural agitator.

He seemed honest and loyal enough, and did not need to be investigated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The attitude of the Defense Force was ambiguous and distorted. After being instigated by those two people, Yuki felt a little annoyed.

In the squad battle to seal the wormhole, the player's strength is indispensable and can greatly reduce casualties, which is very important for the defense force with depleted manpower.

But due to historical reasons, they are on guard everywhere, monitoring, testing, instigating, using all means, even the representatives here are more like hostages.

Yuki suddenly missed the simple and honest people of Xueguang City. The people there were not so cunning.

"So we must unite. No matter whether there are any 'lurkers' among you, at least we should have the same attitude towards the natives here." Johnny Silverhand saw that the time was almost right and clapped his hands lightly.

"The mission must be completed, but the natives cannot be used as cannon fodder. We have seen all kinds of situations. How can we let a group of natives take the lead? I mean, none of you are too immersed in the role."

There was a burst of laughter at the scene. They were all veteran players and were used to pulling out the rope and leaving.

It seems that this arrogance is widespread, and that's right, players are creatures of a higher dimension.

Yuki observed silently and never expressed his opinions casually. According to his understanding of the players, this kind of common hatred against a common enemy was only a surface phenomenon, and everyone had their own ulterior motives.

"There must be some Infernal Affairs lurkers inside, most of whom are trying to take advantage of this opportunity to gather intelligence on the Defense Forces, especially this Johnny Silverhand. He's a digital lifeform, and he's probably looking for a chance to hack into the central database."

Yuuki knew clearly in his heart that the players were not interested in protecting humans at all. Their first goal was survival, and their second was gain. Most of them were greedy, and the rewards from the headquarters could not satisfy their appetite at all.

What they want is the biological binding technology, the surgical data of the psychic warriors, and if possible, they even want to drive this floating battleship back.

As for the hidden danger in tip 4, without any evidence, even if the commander-in-chief can see through the identity directly, speaking it out will only backfire.

At this moment, a strange energy emerged, and Yuki immediately turned his head to look at Denise next to him, and saw the latter giving him a reassuring look.

"I have blocked all the detection capabilities of the natives. Don't worry, this action will not cause any backlash." The smiling lady walked to the center of the garden and said softly:

"As Mr. Silverhand said, players must unite in the dungeon. Don't forget that we have two identities this time, and the enemy is also trying to kill us."

It was a double act, right? If I remember correctly, the two camps united on the spacecraft.

Yuuki continued to watch the two perform, but when the surveillance was blocked, he secretly glanced at Hiyori.

When their eyes met, the girl's lively eyes seemed to speak, making people understand what "eye contact" meant.

Yuki immediately turned around and nodded with satisfaction.

I feel relieved that the seniors are all safe.

Because the prompt prohibits players from communicating about the main quest, the players present cannot find the traitor by answering questions on the spot. Anyway, on the surface, everyone seems to be having a good time.

Catching the traitor is a matter between the players, so why should the defense force get the advantage for free?

The players quickly reached a consensus and decided to join forces to deal with the dungeon forces together. Then they began to introduce themselves, and Johnny Silverhand even took out a strange doll.

【Camp Doll】.

Its function is to allow players to hold it and tell whether they are talking nonsense when describing their faction. It is basically used to catch traitors in the same faction.

It is impossible for two groups of players from the same faction to participate in a dungeon, so in turn it can be used to determine whether there is any lying.

Since it would not involve individuals and being in a powerful camp would give one a status bonus, no player objected and it was passed on one by one.

Cemetery Guardians, Mechanical Cultists, Hunters, Shadow Realm...

Yuki wrote down each of them. Except for Johnny Silverhand and Denise, he was not familiar with the appearance of other players. However, he might encounter these strange factions again in the next mission. When he came to his senses, the doll was already in his hands.

"Mr. Sky Island, which camp are you from?" The blonde beauty smiled, as if she valued him very much.

What camp am I?

This question really stumped Yuuki. Thornrose Hiyori had already said that 'no faction' was her biggest secret. Under the gaze of the silver eyes, she answered decisively:

"I am the headhunter."

Chapter 5: Battle Merit Exchange (K)

A week after the dungeon began, the guardians finally gathered together.

There are seven representatives, and if we assume that each team consists of four people on average, that means there are 30 players. In terms of scale, it has already exceeded the scale of "Blood Disaster".

Each team of players is from a different camp. According to the rule that 'different camps cannot form a team and cannot sign a contract', this kind of cooperation is very fragile. Some people are even planning to let their teammates take the blame and approach the fire themselves.

As a socially anxious person, Yuki is not used to participating in the communication between players, so he sits in the corner and thinks.

"Whether they are lurkers or guardians, they should all be related to the Spark. Now everyone's task is to understand what the Spark is under surveillance."

This is very important. As for things like psychic warrior surgery and biological locking technology, they are all side quests.

Speaking of which, this group of players is really eye-opening. There are even some who are into love.

Yuki turned his head to look at the handsome and cool young man, who was spitting all over the place. He actually gained his reputation by picking up girls, and those simple-minded female warriors were easily won over by him.

In addition to bragging, they were also exchanging information. Of course, the content was very simple. Yuki could even feel the spiritual fluctuations in the air.

The real hard goods are all traded in encrypted form. Even without a contract, no one dares to deny their obligations or deceive others with false information. So Yuki seized the opportunity, took out the spiritual particle communicator openly, and handed the extension to Hiyori.

"Talk? I'll pay the points."

"Okay, Mr. Sky Island, I don't have enough points, so I choose to exchange information on an equal basis." Hiyori answered cautiously, her eyes full of vigilance.

This is the essence I learned from my senior. It's just like our first meeting in the devil's hospital.

Yuki chuckled secretly, put on the communicator, and his tone changed after the connection was established.

"Is anyone listening?"

"No, I read the facial expressions of all the players, and they were all very focused." Hiyori's voice was soft and pleasant. "Mr. Yuuki, are you okay these days? We wanted to ask for information, but Hayasaka-san stopped us. She said she was carrying out the main plot and that we would meet sooner or later."

"Hayasaka's judgment is correct. We need to be patient in this dungeon. The reincarnation game gave us a full month. So, how are they doing?"

"Everyone is in Azure City, north of the mountains. The Zerg invasion there is so severe that we can't escape. So, because I'm the weakest, they were sent here as a representative."

Shiina Hiyori narrated what had happened in the past few days in a brief and logical tone. They were also thrown into the mountains and encountered a battle less than half a day after leaving the landing capsule.

Unlike Yuuki, the Zerg didn't come out immediately, relying on the team's cooperation and Hiyori's reading of the Zerg's weaknesses to hold out until the defense forces arrived.

"Well done. The first encounter with the Zerg is the most difficult to deal with. Later you participated in the wormhole attack?" Yuki breathed a sigh of relief. Combat effectiveness does not necessarily rely on direct destruction. It is more important to find the weaknesses of unfamiliar enemies.

"We've been recruited and are joining the Psykers in battle. Hayasaka-san has been very valuable."

Of course, it was valuable. As long as they could get close enough, their Absolute Kill mode could blast the brainworm apart with a single shot, eliminating the need for a seismic generator. Kaguya's range was astonishing, allowing her to provide fire support from several hilltops away.

Oh, and there’s the senior sister. That shield can counter invisibility, but there’s no way to find her. You can just leisurely place the earthquake generator around the wormhole. Anyway, this is also considered a blast.

After two battles, the third blockade operation was completed by them alone. Their reputation increased much faster than Yuuki's. In addition, they were grouped into four girls, and their appearance was very deceptive, so the defense forces were much less wary of them.

"Shit, even this crappy place depends on appearance, right?"

Yuki was a little depressed. His fighting style could show his strength intuitively, but it also aroused people's vigilance.

Hiyori's lips curved into a smile as she continued, "I was sent here because I have no fighting ability and can't help."

"You've been a great help. Among all the players here, you are the most suitable hostage." Yuki didn't know whether he was praising or being sarcastic. As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the girl stand up and put the novel in her hand in his.

After flipping through a few pages, the corner of my eye twitched slightly.

It turned out to be a hand-drawn map with a scale, a huge ring-shaped mountain range, and circles. They had no names, but were marked as fortresses or cities.

"When I was accompanying Mai-senpai on the battle, I started drawing the map. Then the defense army sent me here without closing the window. I read the land I saw and reluctantly drew it."

Hiyori could only determine a quarter of the area on the map, and the rest was inferred by her based on the direction of mountains and rivers.

Yuki came from the opposite direction and used Lancui City as a reference and found that the error of this map was not much.

Extremely important information. Despite the defense forces' repeated attempts to hide it, he finally figured out what the copy looked like.

Yuuki resisted the urge to pick up Hiyori and spin her around, instead tapping lightly on the west side of the mountain range. "Where is this place?"

There is a clear break in the endless mountain range, and there are dense fortress signs all around.

"The Unbreakable Fortress, a massive military fortress where the majority of the defense forces are stationed," Hiyori replied. They had been there once before and had read a lot of information:

"It consists of a main fortress and dozens of guard posts. The Zerg can directly attack the fortress. From what I've observed, the troops inside are being continuously withdrawn."

No fortress? Can the Zerg attack directly?

Yuki raised his eyebrows. He had always had a question: those mountains seemed extremely high, but it was not difficult for the insect swarms to climb over them, so why bother digging holes?

Unless for some reason they can't climb the wall, they either dig a hole to get around it or attack this hedgehog-like fortress.

"What other details have you found about this fortress?"

"I didn't get a full view, but my senior said there's a giant light curtain on the outside that blocks the gap in the canyon. Oh, and this light curtain looks similar to the one used by the brain worm."